Theresa Holst answers a lot of questions from visitors to the Capitol, but the most common is: “Can we come up to the dome?”
Today, she can finally say, “Yes.”
Tours of the dome, closed because of security concerns following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and then for extensive remodeling to ease fire-safety concerns, will resume at 9 a.m. today.
Holst, a visitor’s aide to the state House of Representatives, actually gave in a day early when 12-year-old Meaghan Payne rushed up and asked if she and her fellow Girl Scouts could take a tour.
Ninety-nine steep steps later, they were rewarded with a stunning view of the city below.
“It’s awesome,” Payne said, entertaining thoughts of tossing a penny down to the Rotunda below before a Scout leader warned her against doing so.
For the rest of the public, the tours will be held hourly from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Admission is free, but a reservation is required. Tours also will be limited to 30 people. The final spiral steps that lead to the balcony outside the dome will remain closed.
Coinciding with the tours is the opening of Mr. Brown’s Attic, a museum packed with trivia about the Capitol. The museum is named after Henry Cordes Brown, who donated the land for the Capitol and built the Brown Palace Hotel.
For more information about the tours, call 303-866-3834 or go to www.colorado-dome.org.
ABOUT THE DOME
150
height in feet from first floor
16
stained-glass windows of prominent state pioneers
2001
The last year the dome was open to the public
